Page 11 of Unhinged Cravings
“Greyson,” I returned, my voice flat.
“You have something of mine, and I want it back.”
“Does your new wife know this one is yours, too? Does she share you with her?” The idea had my blood heating, a reaction I didn’t understand.
“Fuck off. I’m not sleeping with her, asshole.”
A bit of tension fled, and I pinched the bridge of my nose to bring it back. I didn’t give a shit who Ava was sleeping with. She’d already admitted she’d been on the plane to screw the guy she was with. Why did I care if my brother was sleeping with her?
“Then she’s of no value to you?”
“You know she is, or you wouldn’t have taken her.”
I wouldn’t have taken her if my shithead men hadn’t fucked up my orders.
“What do you want, Emerson?”
Rolling my neck, I said, “You.”
The silence on the other end lingered. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means I want you in Seagate so we can work out an agreement.”
“An agreement on what? You stole my wife’s friend?—”
“And your henchman’s niece.”
He grumbled before he said, “There is no agreement here.Either fly her home alive and unharmed or I will bring my full force down on you.”
Which was exactly what I didn’t want. I was weak, my empire vulnerable, something he didn’t know because all indications pointed to me stirring trouble in his province and in Armina.
“A simple negotiation, Greyson.”
“Don’t pull that shit on me. I tried to negotiate years ago, but you were too stubborn to listen.”
“You mean when Tina’s mouth was around your cock?”
“Fuck you. That was twenty-five years ago. You should have let it go, but instead you decided that some bitch who spread her legs for everyone we knew, including me, was worth turning your back on family.”
“Family doesn’t fuck his brother’s girl.”
A heavy sigh followed by, “There’s no talking to you, Emerson. You’re blinded just like you’ve always been. And it’s too late now. Your hands are too dirty, your deeds too warped for me to ever consider reconciling with you.”
My hand clenched the deck rail, splinters piercing my skin.
“Send Ava back and stay in your province. Otherwise, I’m coming to get you. I have a score to settle with you for what your man did to my wife. Oh, and I’m sure Brinks will be more than happy to come along with Raines.”
“You would bring those children to fight your war, Grey? Is that how weak you’ve become?” My rage was blinding me, my words not thought through, but they were out before I could stop them.
“Send her back?—”
“The only way I’m sending her back is in pieces. You have two weeks to make your decision. In that time, I’ll keep her alive and unharmed and you will keep your men and Brinks out of my territory. Two weeks and when I call again, you’d better have the right answer or she’s dead.”
I disconnected and slammed the phone against the rail. Twoweeks? There was no explanation as to why I had given him that deadline. It was too long. Enough time for him to bring an army to my door or enough time for me to fall for the pesky woman who was currently my hostage.
The scotch soothed my mood,and I took another gulp, resting my head back in my chair. Waves crashed against the surf, the moon streaming between clouds to cast long shadows over the sand. This was my favorite place to come when I needed to think. My deck perched high over the cliff with nothing to block the view. Woods surrounded the eastern side of the house, a long stretch of manicured grass on the front and western side. But the backside was all shoreline.
A scream broke the silence, high pitched and desperate. It clawed into my chest and severed my ability to breathe. My glass crashed onto the wooden deck as I ran into the house, following the trail of screams. Over and over, they pierced my ears, rising the closer I came to Ava’s room.
